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Gianna, 14, discovers iPad 2 heart risk

Michelle Fay Cortez

Gianna Chien's study found the iPad 2 can, in some cases, interfere with life-saving heart devices because of the magnets inside. Photo: Supplied

Gianna Chien is somewhat different from all the other researchers reporting on their work to more than 8000 doctors at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting in Denver, Colorado.

Chien is 14, and her study – which found that Apple's iPad 2 can, in some cases, interfere with life-saving heart devices because of the magnets inside – is based on a science-fair project that didn't even win her first place.

I don't think anyone really knows about the risks.

Gianna Chien, 14

The research offers a valuable warning for people with implanted defibrillators, which deliver an electric shock to restart a stopped heart, said John Day, head of heart-rhythm services at Intermountain Medical Centre in Murray, Utah, and chairman of the panel that reviews scientific papers to be presented at the Denver meeting.

If a person falls asleep with the iPad 2 on the chest, the magnets in the cover can "accidentally turn off" the heart device, said Chien, a high school freshman in Stockton, California, whose father is a doctor. "I definitely think people should be aware. That's why I'm presenting the study."

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Defibrillators, as a safety precaution, are designed to be turned off by magnets. The iPad 2 uses 30 magnets to hold the iPad 2's cover in place, Chien said. While the iPad 2 magnets aren't powerful enough to cause problems when a person is holding the tablet out in front of the chest, it can be risky to rest it against the body, she found.

Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment on the study, referring questions about the iPad 2's safety to its online product guide. The guide cautions users about radio frequency interference, suggests that patients with pacemakers keep the iPad at least six inches away and says they should be turned off in healthcare facilities when instructed by staff or posted signs.

While the study was done with an iPad 2, any device that incorporates magnets can, in theory, cause the same effects.

The study involving 26 volunteers with defibrillators found "magnet mode" was triggered in 30 per cent of patients who put the tablet on their chest. The iPad 2 didn't interfere with four pacemakers or a loop-recorder, which were also tested. Walter Chien, a cardiac electrophysiologist, helped his daughter co-ordinate the patient testing.

Medtronic, the leading manufacturer of defibrillators, said its testing hasn't found any risks from iPad technology when used according to the manufacturer's instructions. The Minneapolis-based company does tell patients to avoid placing any magnets near the area where their devices are implanted.

"The presentation at Heart Rhythm 2013 is a good reminder for patients to remain vigilant on new technology and its accessories and maintain a distance of six inches between an iPad and an implanted pacemaker or ICD," the company said in a statement.

Most defibrillators will turn back on once the magnet is no longer affecting the device. Some, however, remain off until the magnet is reapplied or the device is turned back on manually, the younger Chien said. Patients should be told about the risk and doctors should check the devices to see if they have been inadvertently turned off by magnets, she said.

Chien said she received an iPad 2 for her birthday in August 2011. She was struck at the time by the number of older customers taking a class on how to use the device at the company store and, given her father's specialty, wondered if there could be a connection between the iPads and their heart devices.

"I don't think anyone really knows about the risks," Chien said.

The results are important because they can help raise awareness of the danger in a very specific setting, said Day, the heart meeting official. "Defibrillator patients can still buy Apple products," he said. "Just don't put them on your chest."

A regular at Johns Hopkins University's Centre for Talented Youth, Chien doesn't see herself becoming a doctor. At the camp, she regularly participates in the writing program and she said that one of her favourite parts of the iPad 2 project was summing up the results for publication in a medical journal. Eventually, she wants to write a novel, she said.

Chien first presented her results in the San Joaquin County Science Fair's high school category in March, but the project was beaten out for the top spot by work on electromagnetics and on the effect of punctuation mark placement in keyboards on carpal tunnel syndrome.

Chien, who rows in her free time, says she may revisit the issue for next year's science fair, looking at the risks with other electronic products.

Bloomberg

106 comments

And she didn't first place? What is the research too good for high school now?Very valuable work Gianna, well done.

Commenter

aunty

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 11:47AM

Thanks aunty.

Commenter

5318008

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 12:23PM

If you read the article it sounds like it was as much her dad's entry into the science fair as it was hers. :) If her dad wasn't an cardiac electrophysiologist I'm not sure she could have presented anything other than an untested idea written on hunks of cardboard.

Anything with a magnet is a risk to these patients and I'm struggling to see how these findings would be at all surprising. Without seeing the entry that did win it's kinda rich to assume she should have won.

Commenter

Tanuki

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 12:29PM

Did the knockers read the article?

"Chien said she received an iPad 2 for her birthday in August 2011. She was struck at the time by the number of older customers taking a class on how to use the device at the company store and, given her father's specialty, wondered if there could be a connection between the iPads and their heart devices."

Good work Gianna. Many people seem to underestimate the abilities of kids and young adults.Also, we're talking about a science project here not a doctoral dissertation. I'm still impressed.

Commenter

Shane

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 12:47PM

Gianna came second. Aren't you making assumptions about the quality of the winning entry? Valuable work? No doubt/ But CTS is a broader issue, Are the risks greater than those for a pacemaker wearer with an iPad2 ?

Commenter

stevek

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 12:50PM

Yes, we read the article. And understand it to mean her dad did some medical tests to prove what is already well known, well documented, and even written in the iPad's manual that inspired her. Let us know what we're missing that's so remarkable about this entry?

Commenter

Tanuki

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 1:28PM

If this was not remarkable, we'd be seeing multitudes of similar cases whereby children of doctors are submitting projects of equal or of greater quality. But alas, this is not the case. Good work, especially in education, 9 should always be applauded and appreciated.

Commenter

djykim

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 1:47PM

Anyone with a pacemaker / auto defib device knows that magnets and electronic devices interfere and is warned about any laptops, cell phones, tablets etc. In fact, this is written in the safety instructions for the ipad. Maybe,as nobody reads manuals nowadays, it is newsworthy that a 14 year old "discovered" this information...

Commenter

R

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 12:01PM

There was a recent study by scientists, that they believe the generation now and the others that follow will no longer have an Einstein. Common Sense, Logic, Intelligence are all deteriorating as the generations evolve. Yes in simple terms, we are all getting lazy in reading instructions, and manuals, we ignore warnings signs at hospitals that advices everyone/anyone with an electronic device should turn them off. This is it. This is the world that we are living in at this current time. And to publicize something like this and put this innocent girl on a judgmental world, makes it even worse. We are suppose to be protecting these young people, we are suppose to reward them when they innovate with a new idea, but to reward a person for something that's been known for a very long time is so wrong. We as society are stepping backwards!!! The age is currently helping us to step backwards than moving forward in evolution. I want to get out of here!! lol

Commenter

pitchp

Date and time

May 10, 2013, 2:01PM

Exactly!! This "discovery" is not new or news worthy. People with pacemakers are aware of the potential dangers with magnets, and when/if someone with a pacemaker buys an iPad and opts to buy the "magnetically connected" smart cover, then said person is well aware of the hazard.

Makes complete sense that this student did not get first place - her conclusion is already well documented and known!!